HIS SALVATION

24

~MATTEO~

The way she looked so fragile and vulnerable made me feel worried. Her father told me about what happened so I knew what made her like this.

The drive to our estate was so quiet but not awkward. She needed her space and I respected that. Too lazy to drive into the garage, I parked in front of the house and she stepped out.

"Thank you", she said before walking into the house. Fuck! "What am I going to do now?", I asked myself. Thunder roared loudly in the sky and I sighed. Putting my hands in my pockets I walked into the house.

Hearing sobs, I walked into the kitchen. There she was, sitting on one of the island chairs with her face in her hands. "Clair?", I called.

She raised her head and wiped her tears. I walked towards her and knelt in front of her. "Clair, please don't be hard on yourself", I told her. She looked away from me.

"I know you think I don't understand what you feel but I do, I really do and I'm trying to help you. Don't push me away", I said with pure frustration. Nothing was easy when it came to her. The thunder roared loud and the breeze was getting colder.

"He'll find me, he will", she mumbled and began to cry. My heart softened and I stood up to pull her in a hug. "Please don't think that way", I whispered to her. "How do you expect me not to think like that? More than three months being tortured and treated like a rag doll made me a mentally derailed person", she cried to me angrily.

"You're perfectly fine, you're okay", I told her as we pulled away. She shook her head and ran her hand through her hair. "You can't say that", she whispered brokenly. I grabbed her two hands and kissed her knuckles. "I can say whatever I want, Clair. And I'm saying that you are a beautiful and perfectly fine woman", I told her.

Her bottom lips trembled as she tried not to cry. "I'm not normal", she sniffled. "Clair stop saying that", I told her. If she said that one more time... "But I'm a fr"-, I didn't even let her finish as I crashed my lips on hers. Her eyes widened in surprised but she kissed me back.

We pulled away and I looked at her. Her cheeks were flushed and she looked away. "Stop worrying and let's go to sleep", I stood up and pulled her up with me. She nodded and silently followed me up the stairs.

֍

~CLAIR~

'I was sitting on the ground with my hands and legs tied and my mouth gagged. The door opened and a large man with a whip walked in with two other men.

He was wearing a mask, a very scaring looking mask and so were the other two men. "You've been a very naughty girl, Clarissa", he said walking towards me. I tried to say something but my words came out muffled because of my tied mouth.

"What are you trying to say?", he asked laughing. He nodded at the two men and then they walk out. He crouched down in front of me and brings out a pocket knife.

My heart dropped as he brought it closer to my face. I felt a sharp pain on my cheeks as he slit them.

I cried out but it was muffled and it was getting harder to breathe. He laughed and stood up kicking me. I fell to the side and he kicked me in my stomach. He laughed as I continued to scream.

"Joker doesn't play with naughty toys. If you ever run, I will find you!", he laughed out'.

I joltted out of my sleep panting hard. I placed my hand on my chest trying to calm myself down but it didn't work. I stood up from my bed and walked to my bathroom. Everywhere was dark but I couldn't switch on the lights. I turned on the little lights that were attached to the mirror.

I looked at myself in the mirror and began to sob, "What am I going to do now?". I began to feel nauseous and dizzy.

I spotted the toilet and quickly ran to it. Emptying my stomach's content, I groaned as I sat beside the toilet. My head was pounding as I lay on the cold tiles. "I think I'm sick", I groaned.

֍

"This is the third time you're puking, are you sure you're fine?", Sam asked with a worried face. I threw away the paper bag into the dustbin as I flashed her a weak smile. "I'm perfectly fine, just a slight stomach upset", I told her.

"I don't know why I skipped going to work just to give you company", she said as she munched on her taco. "It's not my fault Matteo called at my work telling them I was sick", I retorted.

"Touché", she said and I chuckled.

She held up her over large sized taco, "Want some?". I shook my head, "No". "Where did you find a taco that big?", I asked her. She grinned and took a bite. "Jim's Deli, they have the best tacos, fries and ham burgers", she told me and I shook my head in amusement.

"Do you still feel headache?", she asked. "Yeah", I nodded. "Stomach pain?", she asked. I nodded and she hummed. "When last was your period?", she asked and I narrowed my eyes at her. "What are you getting at?", I asked her. "You know what I mean", she said.

"I can't be and I'm not", I told her with a straight face. "You don't know, Clair. I'm going to get the tests now", she stood up and walked out of the kitchen. I sighed and put my head in my arms. "Oh Lord", I said as I begin to think about the possibilities.

What if I'm actually pregnant?

Will I be happy?

What will Matteo think?

What will he say?

Will he want to abort the baby?

What if I'm not?

"I'm back!".

I was brought out of my train of thoughts as Sam walked in. She held three sticks in her hands as we walked to where I was sitting.

"Where did you get them so fast?", I asked her with surprise. "Martha had some, I don't know why but I didn't ask", she shrugged.

I looked at her and I shook my head. "I don't want to take it. I'm not pregnant", I told her. She groaned and crossed her hands on her chest. "Clair, stop this nonsense and take the damn test", she told me.

I sighed and stood up. I collected the test from her and walked out of the kitchen to one of the guest bathrooms. I let out a breath as I brought out the sticks. "I can do this, just pee on the stick and wait three minutes", I saod to myself.

After peeing on the sticks which was very hard and disgusting, I put them in different containers. I walked out of the bathroom with them in my hands. Sam was in the living room sitting cross legged on the couch tapping impatiently on her laps. "Took you long enough", she said.

I dropped the containers on the dining table and walked into the living room where she was. "What are you going to do if you are really pregnant?", she asked. "I don't know, I honestly don't know", I told her truthfully as I sat on the couch opposite her. She jumped of the couch and went to sit beside me, pulling me in a hug. "Pregnant or not, I'll still be with you", she told me. I smiled, "Thank you.

"Three minutes gone", she stated and we stood up. My heart was beating abnormally fast as I walked to the dining room. I walked to the table and picked a stick from one of the containers. My heart dropped as I saw the green line longer than the red line.

Swallowing hard, I checked the second and third sticks. "What is it?", she asked. I dropped the sticks and sat on the chair. I felt like the world was spinning.
"I'm pregnant?", I asked myself in surprise.